more ideal schools

A couple of people wrote to me giving their "ideal school," and here's one from a friend.

While you were reading the article I forwarded to you I was reading your article about education.

I would add more points to your suggestions I mostly agree with: Small classes, not more than 15 pupils in a class. Homework done in school with help if neccesary, so that children with a "social disadvantage," such as parents who can't help them for one reason or another or olim chadashim, can learn how to learn. And not too many long hours in school, because if the classes are small, much more can be done in fewer hours. And another thing, for a start children in the first grade should learn how to hold a pen or pencil. If you see many children, how they are doing that you can't be surprised that they a- get tired quickly and b- they can't even read their own writing. Secondly it is very recommendable that attention is given to spelling. I found out that children even in sixth grade make abominable mistakes in writing in Hebrew even easy words.

Grammar they should learn from fourth grade because I had to teach children who wanted to learn Enlish hebrew grammar first. And the last thing for the time being: the teacher should have to talk so much. children should work in class, doing exercises and repeating the learned material not once but several times till they get it. The teacher should be present to help them out and correct their exercises because again I have seen that most of the home work is not corrected. And don't forget; there should be order and discipline in the class rooms, otherwise learning and teaching is impossible.